From far away, O.C. volunteers see White House award

Sept. 24, 2013

Updated Sept. 25, 2013 12:25 p.m.

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CERT board members, Evalie DuMars, Marilyn Broughton and Tom Popplewell, from left, watch a live stream as city volunteer program coordinator Matt Brisbois is honored at the White House. He is the Life Safety Specialist responsible for the CERT Program. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Newport Beach Fire Department members and other officials gather to watch a live stream as city volunteer program coordinator Matt Brisbois is honored at the White House. He is the Life Safety Specialist responsible for the CERT Program. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Assistant Chief of Newport Beach Fire Department, Kevin Kitch applauds a live stream as city volunteer program coordinator Matt Brisbois is honored at the White House. He is the Life Safety Specialist responsible for the CERT Program. CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Matt Brisbois was honored Tuesday at the White House. COURTESY CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH

CERT board members, Evalie DuMars, Marilyn Broughton and Tom Popplewell, from left, watch a live stream as city volunteer program coordinator Matt Brisbois is honored at the White House. He is the Life Safety Specialist responsible for the CERT Program.CHRISTINE COTTER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Even while getting an award at the White House, Matt Brisbois kept the focus on the people watching back home.

Brisbois, who coordinates Newport Beach's Community Emergency Response Team, was honored Tuesday as a “Champion of Change.” About 2,600 miles away at the Newport Beach Central Library, dozens of people watched a live Web feed of the White House ceremony. About 20 wore the green vests with yellow stripes that mark them as CERT volunteers. The crowd cheered when Brisbois was introduced and spoke. He told the audience in Washington the award was really for the 1,100 people in Newport Beach who've trained as CERT volunteers and the city officials who've supported the program.

“It doesn't get any bigger than this for us,” Brisbois said in a phone interview before the ceremony.

The 36-year-old, who works for the Fire Department, started with the city as a seasonal lifeguard when he was 17.

Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, set the tone at the White House when he remarked on the role volunteers can play after a disaster. Firefighters and other first responders are important, Fugate said. But referring to recent tornadoes that devastated communities in the Midwest, he said, “You know who did most of the rescuing? The neighbors.”

That's the principle behind CERT, teams that consist of volunteers trained to help after emergencies that overwhelm police and fire departments. FEMA honored Newport Beach's CERT as the best team in the nation last year. A few weeks ago, the city learned of the White House honor.

For too long, Fugate said, the government treated residents as a nuisance to be dealt with.

“We had actually pushed the public away,” Fugate said. “We said, ‘You're not trained. Stay back. Let the professional do it.'”

In Newport, CERT volunteers have trained for earthquakes, tsunamis and wildfires. They've also started to think about other kinds of disasters, such as a flu epidemic or major power outage, volunteer board member Karen Tringali said.

Volunteers put in 10,000 hours last year and could double that this year, Tringali said. Among other things, they're trained in search and rescue, fighting small fires and basic lifesaving measures such as CPR.

Kathie McClelland, who watched the White House ceremony from the library, said she signed up for CERT just after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“If you're going to spend time volunteering for something, I'd like it to be something meaningful, in a way that could really help,” McClelland said.

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